An Indiana teen died in 1866. How did her skull end up in an Illinois house’s walls?

In 1978, a skull was discovered in the wall of a Batavia, Illinois home during renovations. Almost fifty years later, it was identified as belonging to Esther Granger, a 17-year-old who died from childbirth complications in Indiana in 1866. Investigators believe the skull was likely stolen in a grave-robbing incident, a common practice in the 1800s to supply medical schools with bodies for study. The skull went cold in the investigation until it resurfaced in a museum in 2021, leading to a renewed search funded by public donations. Using advanced DNA techniques, forensic scientists matched the skull’s DNA with Granger’s living descendant, retired police sergeant Wayne Svilar, providing her family with long-sought closure. Granger was finally laid to rest in Batavia, where her remains are honored in a city-provided columbarium space.

Source: NPR